Promised Harvest
by August08
Summary: Six months after they pulled Raph back from the brink of death, something begins to hunt Leo, Don and Mike down one by one. However, when Raph finds out who's behind it, it may be too late to save his brothers. Takes place after Breathe Into Me.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: This was inspired by an idea that Amonraphoenix and a reviewer for Breathe Into Me popped into my head. This takes place in the Breathe Into Me universe and takes place after that story's events.

Hope you all enjoy the story

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing.

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><p>Fear. Uncertainty. Pain.<p>

Things I thought I would be used to by now since they've been a part of my life for the last six months. I can't believe it's only been six months since Travis and Ash were arrested for murder; or what they think was murder. According to popular belief, their victim had no family so that's why only the victim's friends testified against Travis and Ash in court. But, I know better. I'm not as stupid and brainless as people think I am. I know Leo and Donnie were at those trials while I was bedridden with Mikey looking after me.

I may not use it much, but my mind is just as sharp as anyone else's. And I've been using it a lot more in the months since Leo, Don and Mike cheated Death and pulled me back from the brink. And since then I haven't had a decent night's sleep or a moment's peace. When you keep seeing the Grim Reaper...the _real_ Grim Reaper, coming at you with a scythe so sharp it can cut a fully grown tree down with one swipe, you tend to start believing that you're going insane. Added on top of the constant nightmares of being back in a torture chamber and you've got a good chance of being thrown into a padded room.

Don't get me wrong. I'm glad my brothers didn't give up on me, but a part of me wishes that they had. It's the small, scared part of me that wishes that they had just let me go. It would have been better than living with the constant pain. Can't they see I'm not the same brother they used to know? All the hope in the world can't undo what Travis did. I went into that torture chamber as the stubborn hot-head, but I came out a shattered wreck.

I know the others want me back to my old self. I can see it in their eyes; especially Mikey. They all want the hot-head back...to some extent. They don't want the uncontrolled rage and anger, but the strong spirited, stubborn mule of a turtle I used to be.

"Raph?" Mikey's voice sounded.

I opened my eyes and slowly turned my head to the left. Mikey stood uncertainly in the doorway.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Dinner's ready," Mikey replied. "And before you say you're not hungry, Leo told me to drag you down to the kitchen if you said that."

I gave him a questioning look. "And how does he expect you to do that?" I wanted to know.

Mikey sighed. "Raph, you have to eat. You're wasting away to nothing."

I looked up at the ceiling. "Might as well. I'm not much good for anything else."

Something hit against my head. I winced in pain and looked to see a wooden spoon lying on the bed next to my head.

_How cliché,_ I thought.

"I _will_ drag your butt down to supper if you don't move yourself," Mikey declared.

I held up my hands before pushing myself up. "Fine, fine," I said.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed. Out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw something move and the flash of steel. Not wanting to scare Mikey, I stood up and pushed him out of the room, leading him down to the kitchen. Leo and Donnie were already sitting at the table when me and Mikey walked in.

"Lazarus has risen," Donnie commented when he saw me.

Leo gave me a smile. "Good to see you up, Raph," he said.

"Whatever," I grunted as I sat down next to Don.

Pain stabbed my right knee. That would never heal. I tried my best to hide the pain on my face, but I knew it was a lost cause when I saw the look of concern in Leo's eyes. I gave him my best "I'm fine and don't you dare say anything to Donnie" glare. Leo must have gotten the message because he looked away to see what Mikey was doing. I settled in my chair, my hand gently rubbing my busted knee. If I had any kind of fight left in me I would have hunted Hun down and beat the life out of him for the beating he gave me. Sadly, I left my fighting spirit back in Death's domain.

"Hope you brought your appetites, " Mikey said, breaking me out of my thoughts.

He placed bowls of steaming hot seafood chowder in front of us. The smell awakened my stomach and it began to growl in anticipation. Mikey must have heard it because he grinned before retrieving his own bowl and sitting down next to Leo. Even though it had been a couple of years since Master Splinter passed away and Leo took the position as head of the family, no one had the heart to sit in sensei's place at the head of the table.

"Once again, you've outdone yourself, Mikey," Leo praised after taking a bite of chowder.

Mikey beamed at the praise. "And this is just the first round," he said. "Wait until the main course."

I took a sip of chowder and once again I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. Without turning my head, I moved my eyes to see what it was. But, whatever it was it was gone.

_Chill, Raph. It's just your imagination._

My brothers and I ate in silence with only the clinking of spoons to break it. It was a nice, rare quiet moment in my brother's company. As the evening went on, I could feel myself relaxing a little bit at a time until I was laughing along side Leo and Donnie at Mikey's hilarious antics. It made me forget about the fear and uncertainty. I could no longer feel the pain that plagued my body.

For that one special moment I felt like myself again.

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><p>Reviews are welcome, flames are not<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

I groaned as I eased myself on to the couch. My stomach protested against the motion. I had eaten way too much. In hindsight I probably should have stopped at bowl number three of the chowder before Mikey came over with the main course: Baked salmon with roasted vegetables seasoned with an assortment of herbs and seasonings. I hadn't eaten that good in weeks. Mikey had gone all out. My stomach churned at even the thought of food. Yeah, that third bowl of chowder was a mistake.

I cringed as the couch bounced when Mikey dropped down on to it. The contents of my stomach almost made a return trip up. I moaned in pain and all Mikey could do was grin like an idiot. He crossed his arms over his chest and sat back against the cushions. I wanted nothing more than to whack that smirk off his face, but that required energy I didn't have at the moment.

"This is what happens when you don't eat properly," Mikey stated. "You overeat and then you pay dearly for it."

"Yes, Donnie," I grunted, leaning back.

I tried to keep as much pressure off of my stomach as I could. That meal was too good for it to end up on the floor. I noticed that Mikey's grin had faded to a sad smile. I turned my head to look at him.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

Mikey looked away, the smile fading even more. "It feels like you're coming back," he replied softly.

I sighed, reached over and patted Mikey on the back. "These things take time to heal from," I said.

Mikey bit his bottom lip as it looked like he was thinking about something. I tilted my head in a questioning manner.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Do you," he began hesitantly. He took a deep breath before speaking again. "Do you ever wish that we didn't pull you back?" Mikey asked.

I blinked in surprise at the question. "Where did this come from?" I wanted to know.

"I see how much pain you're in, Raph. Donnie told me that some of the injuries you got from Travis might never heal. Like your knee." Mikey's eyes began to fill up with tears. "I'm afraid that we messed up and now you'll never be able to be a ninja again."

I gave my brother a gentle whack on the back of the head. Mikey winced and reached up to rub his head, looking at me with those big, baby blue eyes of his. I gave him a stern look.

"Whether or not I'll be able to return to being a ninja has nothing to do with what you, Leo and Donnie did," I explained. "You didn't mess up, Mikey."

My eyes drifted to the long, ugly scar running across Mikey's throat and I swallowed. That scar had been caused by my hand, as was the nasty, jagged scar on Leo's shoulder. In a moment of terror, I had believed my brothers to be enemies. I stabbed Leo first, then slashed Mikey's throat when he tried to calm me down. That had also been the night I was abducted by Travis. I would never forgive myself for what happened that night. I had slipped into Death's domain believing I had killed two of my brothers.

"This is my punishment for what I did to you and Leo," I said, making Mikey look up at me.

"Raph-"

"I put the lives of strangers before the lives of my brothers. I deserved everything I got."

A sad look washed over Mikey's face. "Raphie," he began.

I got to my feet and walked away before he could say anything else. I limped my way up the stairs and disappeared into my room, closing the door behind me. I leaned against the door and listened to the sounds beyond. I could hear Leo and Donnie cleaning up the dishes in the kitchen and at some point Mikey got up from the couch.

"Does anyone need the bathroom?" I heard Mikey call out.

"Nope," Leo and Donnie answered in unison.

"After that meal I need a nice, long hot bath," Mikey said as it sounded like he was making his way towards the bathroom.

"Don't fall asleep and drown," Donnie called out jokingly.

Mikey faked a laugh and then the bathroom door closed. I headed over to my bed and eased myself down, wincing slightly at the pain in my knee. The sound of running water drifted up from the bathroom and soon my eyes were drifting shut.

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><p>I must have fallen asleep because I woke up to a strange sound. It took me a minute to figure out what the sound was. It was the sound of someone screaming. Footsteps pounded across the floor and someone fought with a door handle. I shot up in bed, ignoring the stabbing pain that pulsed through my right leg as I bolted for the bedroom door. As soon as my hand touched the handle I swung the door open. Leo and Donnie were at the bathroom door, both trying-and failing- to open it.<p>

Inside came the pained and panicked screams of our little brother. I dashed downstairs and made a beeline for the bathroom door. Then, suddenly, it got too quiet. Before Leo and Donnie could act, I pushed past them and kicked the door in. The door shattered and was almost thrown off its hinges, but I wasn't concerned about that. My eyes were on the too still form of Mikey lying in the bathtub. Leo and Donnie came up behind me.

Donnie went into full doctor mode and hurried over to Mikey. I was no detective, but I knew something was wrong with the picture in front of me. For one: Why did the shower curtain look like it was melted over Mikey's body? For another: Why was the water boiling?

Leo and Donnie looked just as lost and confused as I was. I saw the same flash of steel I saw earlier that night out of the corner of my eye. This was obviously no accident. I closed my eyes, squeezing them tightly shut.

_Please, don't let my hallucinations be becoming real,_ I silently prayed.

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><p>Reviews are welcome, flames are not<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed thus far. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Sadly, this will only be a very short story and will be clued up in the next chapter. But don't worry, I'm planning on a finale to tie up the Breathe Into Me arc.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

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><p>Mikey's death was a hard blow. What made it even harder was that no one could explain how or why it happened. After we buried Mikey next to sensei in Central Park, it was like a dark cloud had fallen over the lair. Leo and Donnie lost themselves in whatever they could find to do. Donnie would often lock himself in his lab while Leo disappeared into the dojo for hours without end. And me...I just laid in bed and stared up at the ceiling, the last minutes I had spent with Mikey playing through my head. He had been about to tell me something and I walked out on him.<p>

The last memory I would ever have of my baby brother would be the look of sadness on his face; sadness that I had caused. My eyes began to burn and I squeezed them tightly closed. My breath hitched in my throat and a strangled sob came out. I took several breaths to try and get my breathing under control. A knock sounded on the bedroom door. I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes and took a deep, calming breath.

"Yeah?" I called out.

The door opened and Leo appeared. His eyes were swollen and bloodshot. He had been crying. I sat up on the bed.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," Leo replied solemnly, hesitating to enter the room.

"What's up?" I asked.

Leo never looked so small and deflated in his life, not even when we lost Master Splinter. I guess losing Mikey took a lot more out of him than I thought.

"There's only so much training and meditating you can do before you finally crack," Leo said in a defeated voice.

I nodded in understanding. "The walls don't offer up much advice, either," I commented sadly.

Leo took a step further into the room, not sure if he should enter fully or not. "I don't know what to do, Raph," he whispered.

I turned to face him fully. "What do you mean?" I asked.

Leo looked down at the floor. "Losing sensei...that was inevitable. But, Mikey?"

"You blame yourself?" I guessed, already knowing the answer.

Leo's breath hitched and he fought to keep from breaking down, but it was a losing battle. "I made a promise to Master Splinter when he appointed me leader that I would look out for and protect you three."

"Leo, this isn't your fault," I said.

Leo finally looked up at me, his eyes swimming with tears. "He died screaming, Raph," he said. "Mikey; the heart and soul of this family died screaming and afraid. There was more we could have done to save him and we didn't do it."

"Something was intentionally keeping us out of the bathroom, Leo," I told him. "The door only opened _after_ Mikey stopped screaming."

"What are you suggesting, Raph?" Leo asked suspiciously.

I looked down at the floor. It sounded ridiculous, even in my head. If I said anything I was just going to sound paranoid; so I kept my mouth shut. Leo took a breath and sighed. He turned around and walked away, wiping tears from his eyes as he left.

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><p>The TV did little to cure my boredom as I flipped through the channels, searching for something to watch. I quickly passed over the cartoon stations. It had been a week since Mikey's death and I didn't have the stomach to watch any of the shows Mikey used to watch; it was too painful. In that week, April and Casey had come over a few times to see how we were doing. Don told them we were as good as we were going to get under the circumstances.<p>

I hadn't talked to Leo in the span of that week, either. He was probably avoiding me. It was for the best. Paranoia can be contagious and Leo's just as paranoid as anyone; he doesn't need more to add on top of it. I rubbed my right leg. It hadn't stopped aching since I kicked the bathroom door down. I must have pulled something.

_I'll get Donnie to check it out later,_ I thought.

"No one touch the breaker box," Donnie called out. "I'm fixing the faulty wiring in the kitchen."

"Right," I called back along with Leo, who was just heading into the dojo for another round of rigourous training.

Donnie disappeared into the kitchen with his toolbox in hand. I finally found a channel that didn't look boring, so I settled back and began to watch the program. The sound of the TV drowned out all the other sounds in the lair, including Donnie working in the kitchen. After a while, it seemed that the lair had grown a bit too quiet, even with the noise from the TV. I turned off the sound and listened. The lair was eerily quiet. Just then, Leo walked up, a disgusted look on his face.

"Is something burning?" he asked.

I sniffed the air. There was a distinct smell of cooking meat. My eyes slowly widened, as did Leo's.

"Donnie!" we both cried.

Leo bolted for the kitchen with me right behind him. We ran into the kitchen to find Donnie lying face down on the floor behind the fridge. He was still holding a pair of wire cutters and the wires he was working on. Leo bent down and picked up what looked like a radio. He placed the top of it against the wires and it instantly went off.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"The wires are live," Leo replied grimly.

"What?!" I yelled. "How can they be live? Donnie shut off all power to the kitchen."

Leo placed the radio thing in his hand on the counter and walked off. Not knowing what else to do, I followed. Leo headed for the breaker box and opened it. We both looked inside and, to our horror, found all the breakers on; including the ones for the kitchen.

"First Mikey's boiled to death and now Don's fried to a crisp?" I asked, on the verge of hysteria.

Leo slowly turned to face me. He looked like he was going to lose it. "Whatever your theory is, please tell me," he said. "Anything will sound plausible right now."

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><p>Reviews are welcome, flames are not<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**: This story has sadly come to its close, but there's a finale story in the making to tie up the Breathe Into Me arc. I hope you've all enjoyed the story.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

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><p>The lair echoed like an explosion as the front door of the lair closed. Leo pulled the lever and the door locked. I felt a knot form in my stomach at the sound. This was a false sense of security and Leo knew it. I think he was just in denial about what I had told him. What was hunting us...it didn't need to use doors. Leo walked up to me, hysteria quietly clouding his eyes.<p>

"Is the warehouse locked up?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah," I replied. "But, Leo, this is pointless. He already got Mikey and Donnie."

"And we're _not_ going to be next," Leo said defiantly.

Somehow, it seemed that Leo didn't believe what he had just said. He walked off with a worried look on his face, his shoulders drooped and head down. I was afraid that Leo was losing himself. Of course, losing two brothers in one week would do that. I was surprised I wasn't going down Leo's road; slowly shrinking into my shell until all that was left was a whimpering, paranoid ball.

And so started the longest wait of our lives. April and Casey had already come to take Donnie's body. Leo had told them to take care of the burial arrangements, but we weren't going to be joining them at the funeral. He said it was too risky for us to be out in the open with something hunting us down. So, this was his big idea; a lockdown. And I always thought it was chickens who were chicken, not turtles. But, Leo was the boss and what he says goes. I was just glad we had stocked up the kitchen before the lockdown. Although, after Donnie's death the kitchen kinda felt a bit haunted; as did the bathroom after Mikey's death.

It was all I could do not to fall into an irreversible state of paranoia. I was more restless than anything and I just wanted out. Three days and nothing was happening; not that I wanted something to happen, but it would break up the boredom that was slowly eating away at my brain. I often spent my days wandering around the lair looking for something to do. Sadly, the only things that could be done could only be done by Donnie.

The days melted into one another, but we stopped caring. The days didn't matter anymore. I think me and Leo were both going out of our minds. It got so bad that we literally ran into each other one day in the main area of the lair. Leo looked wide-eyed and ready to jump out of his shell at the slightest noise.

"When was the last time you slept?" I asked.

"Uh..." Leo stammered, looking around nervously. "Don't know. Last night? Or...maybe...two nights ago?"

"Leo," I started.

"I'm fine, Raph," Leo said.

I crossed my arms, not buying a word he said. I knew I shouldn't blame him for being paranoid. I should have been more paranoid, too. However, I was more bored than anything else. Leo looked around the lair as if something was going to jump out and attack us.

"It's been two weeks, Leo," I said. "Maybe we can lay off the lockdown and go out for some fresh air. It'll help clear your head."

Leo nodded. "Yeah. Sure," he agreed.

I gave him a sympathetic smile and patted him on the shoulder. "Come on, let's head topside."

I started off towards the elevator. However, as soon as my back was turned I heard Leo cry out. I swung around in time to see Leo fall to the floor, his throat slashed open. I looked from my brother to the hooded figure standing over him. My heart dropped into my stomach. The figure looked at the scythe in his hand in what seemed like annoyance.

"And I just had this thing cleaned, too. Why do I even bother?"

Instinctively, I started to take a step back. The figure turned to look at me, solid red eyes glowing through the shadow of the massive hood. I stopped dead in my tracks; hopefully the emphasis wasn't on "dead".

"Hello, Raphael. Long time no see."

"Death," I whispered in horror.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting long," Death said, mockingly.

I could feel myself start to hyperventilate. "Give them back," I whimpered.

Death tilted his head to one side. "Pardon?" he asked.

"Give them back!" I yelled, trying to keep my focus on Death and not on the growing pool of blood flowing from Leo's severed throat. "I'll do anything you want, just give them back!"

"You had your chance, Raphael," Death told me. "I was promised a soul. A turtle soul. Quite frankly, at this point I don't care much about which turtle it is." He took a raspy breath. "I don't like taking the law into my own hands, but since you four never seem to know when to stay down, I had no choice. The young one took longer to die than I had expected. I don't like making people suffer."

"You boiled Mikey to death," I whispered in disgust. "And you switched the power back on to the kitchen when Donnie was fixing the wiring."

"If it makes you feel any better, Donatello didn't suffer," Death said.

I was starting to lose it. My brain was refusing to work. "Murderer!" was all I could think to scream.

"You knew this was coming," Death said harshly. "All of you. Even your precious rat."

At the mention of Master Splinter some life seemed to spark in my head. "What?" I asked, stunned.

"It was the only way I could take him down," Death explained. "Taking him in his sleep. Even in the dream realm he put up a fight, but he succumbed in the end."

"You killed Splinter?" I asked.

Death took another raspy, gurgling breath. "You mutants have been a thorn in my side for years," he said. He pointed his scythe at Leo's lifeless body, blood dripping off the tip. "He was the first."

I swallowed down the bile that was creeping up my throat. "How?" I wanted to know.

"I had him the night he was ambushed by the Shredder's elite guard," Death replied. "He was ready to pass on." For a brief second it looked like the solid red faded to be replaced by loathing human eyes. "And then...you decided to have story time."

"We couldn't just let him die," I argued.

Death sneered. "And then it was the rat," he snarled. He gave me a quizzing look. "Did you know the Guardians almost lost him while you and your brothers had your little trip across the universe?"

My heart skipped a beat. Sensei almost died? Death nodded before I could say anything.

"Oh, yes. I had him, too. But no. He went back because he didn't want to leave you four." Death took a calming breath. "And then there were all the other times when you four were kicked, beaten, stabbed and shot at. Do you know how many times I've had you within my grasp?"

I slowly shook my head, not knowing what else to do. I was preparing myself to be Death's last victim.

"A lot more than you think," Death answered his own question.

"Why don't I remember?" I asked quietly.

Death narrowed his eyes slightly. "Because I've always wiped your memory before you went back," he replied. "It was for your benefit, of course. Didn't want people thinking you were going crazy and thinking you actually saw Death." He tightened his grip on his scythe. "And don't even get me started on the ones who go back on our deals."

"So, why take the others?" I asked. I felt myself getting down on my knees. "Please," I began to plead. "Leo, Don and Mike have nothing to do with this. I'm the one who went back on the deal. Punish me."

Death was suddenly on top of me; knocking me backwards and pinning me to the floor, his skeletal hand pressing down, hard, on my chest. Even up this close I still couldn't see anything under the massive hood. I yelled in pain as my chest began to burn.

"This_ is_ your punishment, Raphael," Death said. "Your brothers are your world. So I will take that world from you."

The pain became blinding and a scream tore from my throat.

"I will not reap your soul today; nor will I ever," Death spoke with that wet, gurgling voice. "In turn, your life cannot be taken by your hands, the hands of your friends, nor the hands of your enemies."

My back arched and a scream that hurt even my own ears ripped from my throat as it felt like Death set my insides on fire. There was no escaping this time; Death had made sure of it.

"You will walk this land for eternity with the knowledge that you could have saved your brothers," Death said.

It felt as though heavy weighted chains were wrapped around my body, sinking into the floor; connecting me to the earth. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Death removed his hand. I gasped and panted for breath; my body burning both inside and out. Grunting, I lifted my head and looked down at my chest. The outline of Death's hand was burned into my plastron. I pushed myself to my knees and looked down at my hands. For a brief second, blood red chains flashed around my arms.

"You will never see your family again," Death told me, turning his back to me. "And now you will live on and watch as your friends pass on into the land of eternal slumber, but know that you will never join them." Death held up a hand and a dark portal opened in front of him. "You will be an example to all those who think they can cheat me," he said. "You want to live forever? So be it. Live on and watch your loved ones die and never be able to join them in the afterlife."

This was my last chance to try and change Death's mind. "Please, don't do this. I beg you. Give my brothers back their lives and I'll go with you," I promised.

"No," Death growled, darkly. "You had your chance and you made your choice. This is the grave you dug for yourself. Now lie in it!"

With those final words, Death disappeared through the portal. Even though I knew I was going to live for eternity, I felt as though my life had just ended.

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><p>Reviews are welcome, flames are not<p> 


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